Winding and tensioning mechanism for cord braiding machines



NOV. 28, J F SCHENCK 5 I WINDING AND TENSIONING MECHANISM FOR CORD BRAIDING MACHINES Filed Sept. 21. 19.52

VENTOR ATTORN Patented Nov. 28, 1933 PA NT orrlcs WINDING AND. TENSIONING ,MECHAN ISM FOR CORD BRAIDING MACHINES John F.,Schenck, Sr., Lawndale, N, 0.

Application September 21, 1932 SeriaLNo. 634,239

8 Claims. (01. 96-18) 7 This invention relates to winding and tensioning mechanism for braiding, twisting, finishing or other machinesfrom which cord or the like is taken up on reels. In the accompanying drawing the invention is shown as attached to a cord braiding machine such as that shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,765,117 granted June 17, 1930 to W. C. Wright and myself. Winding and tensioning mechanisms for cord, braiding machines of 10 the character just referred to usually include a take-up reel upon which the braided cord is wound as it is, delivered from the braidingma chine, and a friction drive'which, in order to maintain the braided cord under tension, imparts rotation to the reel to-take up the braided cord at a rate greater than that at which it is delivered from the braiding machine. Such friction drive usuallycomjprises a belt, and a presser roller or pulley acting against the belt and which isv adjustable manually to tension the belt but which remains fixed in adjusted position.

Such belt tensioning means is unsatisfactory, for the reason thatit .doesnot automatically so regulate the tension-cf the belt as to cause the reel to exert a substantially uniform tension on the braided cord as the diameter of the body of cord wound upon the reel increases. For exam- :ple,-if the beltisplaced under afixed tension just sufficient to rotate the reel when it is empty and is therefore light and accordingly turns easily in ,35 of the cord on'the reel, the belt tension will cause less pull on the cord between the reel and the delivery-roll of the machine. I On the other hand, if the tension: of the belt is so adjusted asito easily revolve the reel when it is full and-heavy 40 and to maintain the cord under a fairly good tension, such tension of the belt will place too much tension on the cord between an empty reel and the delivery roll of the machine. The present invention has for one of its ob- .iectsto overcomethe disadvantages ofthe belt tensioning means just referred to and to this end comprehends a tensioning rneans which is controlled by the braidedcord, as the. cord passes from.. the braiding machineto the reel, for in- '50 creasing the tension ofthe driving belt as the diameter ofthe cord wound upon thereel increases. I r

According to the invention the meansfor tensioningthe driving belt for thereel includesa presser roller or pulley which contacts with ;the

driving belt for the reel, 9. carrier for such roller or pulley which is movable .in one direction to increase and in the opposite direction to decrease the pressure of the roller or pulley on the belt. a weight constantly tending tomove the carrier in 0 aidirection to increase the pressure of the roller or pulley upon the belt, and means between'the carrier and the braided cord whereby the tension on the cord between the braiding machine and the winding reel will regulate. the pressure 5 exerted by the roller or pulley upon the belt.

When the tension on the braided cord increases Figurel is a view in side elevation of a winding and tensioning mechanism embodying the invention;'-'i 1 Figure2 is a sectional view of the mechanism on the line 22 of Fig.1, and v Figure 3 is. a viewin front elevation of the reel on which the braided cordis wound. a The winding and tensioning mechanism is shown in connection with a fragmentary portion of the cord'braiding machine forming the subject matter of U. S. Patent No.- 1,765,117, granted June 17, 1930, to W. C. Wright and myself. vIn such machine, the strands 1, of which the cord is formed, pass from the fliers 2 over a circular guide 3 to a central guide 4 directly above and concentric with theboreof a pedestal 5 5 through which the basic strand 6 passes. The braided cord 7 passes from the central guide 4 between a pair of rollers 8 from which it passes from the machine under tension. I

The winding and tensioning mechanism for the braided cord comprises a reel 9 upon which the braided cord is Wound as it is delivered from the machine. The reel!) is mounted upon a shaft 10,-journaled in slots 11 inthe upper ends of standards 12. Thus the shaft 10may be readily 10'5 withdrawn from the slots 11 when it is desired to apply to reel to or remove it from the shaft. Means are provided for'securing the reel9 to the shaft 10, such means being shown as a pin 13 extending laterally from ne of the end flanges of the reel and insertable in an opening in a collar 14 which is keyed to the shaft 10.

The means for imparting rotation to the shaft 10 and regulating the peripheral pull of the reel 9 comprises a belt 15 passing around flanged pulleys 16 and 17 fixed, respectively, to the reel shaft 10 and a counter shaft 18. The counter shaft 18 is journaled in bearing standards 19, and any suitable means may be employed to drive this shaft. The driving means shown cornprises an electric motor 20 connected to the coun ter shaft 18 by a belt 21 which passes over flanged pulleys 22 and 23 fixed, respectively, toithe motor shaft and to the counter shaft. v

The rotative speed of the belt driving pulley 17 and of the belt driven pulley 16 are such that the peripheral speed which would be imparted by the belt 15 to the body of cord on the reel 9 (from the initial to the final winding of the braided cord thereon) would be greater than the lineal speed at which the cord is delivered by the braiding machine if the rotative speed of the reel were not retarded by the tension on the cord. In order to maintain a practically uniform tension on the braided cord during the entire time it is being wound on the reel 9, the tension of the belt 15 must be controlled to reduce the pull exerted on the cord by the reel 9 when the tension on the braided cord exceeds a predetermined degree, and to increase such pull when the tension of the braided cord falls below the predetermined degree.

To accomplish this control of the reel driving belt 15, I employ tensioning means which comprises a lever 24 pivoted between its ends, as at 25, upon a standard 26. The lever 24 is provided at one end with a weight 27, which is movable longitudinally of the lever and provided with means, such as a clamping screw, to secure it in adjusted position, and at its other end with downwardly and upwardly directed extensions 24 and 24 respectively. A flanged pulley 28, for contact with the upper stretch of the belt 15, is mounted for free rotation on a stud 29 carried by the lever extension 24 A flanged pulley 30, around which a loop 7 of the braided cord 7 moves in the passage of the cord from the rollers 8 to the reel 9, is mounted for free rotation on a stud 31 carried by the lever extension 24 The weight 27 counterbalances the extensions 24 and 24 and pulleys 28 and 30.

A weight 32 removably mounted on a pin 33 which extends upwardly from that arm of the lever 24 which carries the pulleys 28 and 30, constantly-tends to move said arm downwardly and thus causes the pulley 30 to take up the slack in the braided cord 7, and to hold the pulley 28 in contact with the upper stretch of the belt 15 under a pressure proportionate to the amount of slack in the braided cord. The'weight 32 may be formed in sections in order that the force available for taking up slack in the braided cord 7 and increasing the tension of the belt 15 may be varied at will.

The winding and tensioning mechanism is located below the rollers 8 of the braiding machine and the braided cord 7, in its passage from said rollers 8 to the reel 9, travels under the pulley 30 and over a pulley 34 which is mounted at a point higher than the pulley 30 to form the loop '7 in the braided cord.

The operation of the winding and tensioning mechanism is as follows;

The winding and tensioning mechanism is started with the reel 9 empty and with the braided cord '7 slack enough between the rollers Sand the reel 9 to permit the weight 32, acting through the lever 24 and pulley 28, to place the belt 15 under such tension as to rotate the reel at such speed as to take up the braided cord at a slightly greater rate than the cord comes from the rollers 8 and with a slight degree of slippage between the belt 15 and the pulleys 16 and 1'7.

As the diameter of the body of cordwound upon the reel 9 increases, the tension on the cord between the rollers 8 and the reel 9 will decrease, and, as such tension decreases, the arm of the lever 24 which carries the pulley 30 will move downwardly under the influence of the weight 32 and thus cause the pulley 28 to bear more heavily upon the upper stretch of the belt 15 and increase the tension on said belt in proportion to the decrease of tension on the cord 7. Thus the rotative speed of the reel 9 and the pull exerted by the reel 9 on the cord will be increased sufliciently to increase the tension on the cord 7 to the proper degree. If the tension on the cord increases above the required degree, the increased tension on the cord will lift the arm of the lever 24 which carries the pulley 30 a sufficient distance to sumciently reduce the pressure exerted by the presser pulley 28 against the upper stretch of the belt 15 and thus reduce the tension of the belt 15 sufiiciently to reduce the pull exerted by the reel 9 upon the cord '7 in proportion to the increase of tension on the cord 7 and cause the reel 9 to take up the cord at the proper rate.

The belt 15 may be made of leather, cord or any other suitable'material, and, if a cord or a belt of circular cross-section is used in place of the fiat belt shown, peripherally grooved rollers may be used in place of the flanged pulleys 16 and 17.

It is to be understood that the winding and tensioning means is adapted for use, not only with cord braiding machines, but also with ropemaking and finishing machines.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A winding and tensioning mechanism for cord braiding machines, comprising a reel for taking up cord as delivered from the braiding machine, a drive belt for the reel of which the tension is variable. for regulating the driving force transmitted to the reel, means for driving said belt, and means controlled 'by the tension of the cord between the braiding machine and said reel for tensioning said drive belt in inverse proportion to the degree of tension on the cord.

2. A winding and tensioning mechanism for a cord braiding machine, comprising a reel for taking up cord as delivered from the braiding machine, a drive belt for the reel, means for driving said belt, a pulley contacting with the cord between the braiding machine and the reel, a second pulley contacting with the driving belt, and means constantly tending to move said pulleys to respectively take up the slack in the cord and tension said driving belt in proportion to the increase of slack in the cord.

3. A winding and tensioning mechanism for cord braiding machines, comprising a reel for taking up cord as delivered from the braiding machine, a drive belt for the reel, means for driving said belt, a movably mounted member, a pulley mounted on said member and contacting with the cord between the braiding machine and reel, a second pulley mounted on said member and contacting with the belt, and means urging said member in a direction to cause the firstnamed pulley to take up slack in the'cord between the braiding machine and said reel and to cause said second named pulley to bear with increased pressure upon the belt.

4. A winding and tensioning mechanism according to claim 3 wherein the means for urging the movably mounted member in a direction to cause the first-named pulleyto take up slack in the cord between the braiding machine and the reel and to cause the second named pulley to bear with increased pressure upon the belt comprises a variable weight mounted on the movably mounted member.

5. A winding and tensioning mechanism for cord braiding machines, comprising a reel for taking up cord as delivered from the braiding machine,a drive belt for said reel, means for driving said belt, a lever fulcrumed between its ends and having oppositely-directed extensions on one of its arms, a pulley rotatable on one of said extensions to contact with the cord between the braiding machine and said reel, a second pulley rotatable on the other of said extensions and. contacting with the belt, a weight mounted on the other arm of said lever and counterbalancing said extensions and pulleys, and means urging the first-named arm of said lever in a direction to cause the first-named pulley to take up slack in the cord between the braiding machine and said reel and tocause said second pulley to apply greater pressure to and increase com braiding machines, comprising a reel for taking up cord as delivered from a braiding machine, means including a belt for rotating said reel at a speed to take up cord at a rate greater than the cord is delivered from the braiding machine, and means controlled by the'tension of the cord between the braiding machine and said reel for applying tension to said belt in proportion to the increase of slack in the cord between the braiding machine and said reel whereby the rotative speed of said reel will be controlled by the degree of tension on the cord between the braiding machine and said reel.

8. A winding and tensioning mechanism for cord braiding machines or the like, comprising a reel for taking up cord as delivered from the machine, means for rotating said reel including friction driving and driven elements, said driven element being connected to the reel and said driving element being adapted to be held in contact with said driven element under different degrees of pressure to vary the driving force imparted to said reel, and means controlled by the tension on the cord between the machine and said reel for holding said driving element in contact with said driven element under increased pressure as the tension on the cord decreases and under decreased pressure as the tension on the cord increases. 7

JOHN F. SCHENCK, SR. 

